Intimacy
by kurilin
Summary: Things get awkward after Krillin hears Piccolo talking in his sleep, forcing both to confront their own feelings for each other.
1. Chapter 1

Soft moans emanated from within the guest room as I ascended the steps, a basket full of clothes in tow. I stopped at the entrance of the upstairs guest room, hesitated, then set the basket down and leaned against the door.

Muten Roshi was away from home visiting Goku's family. He had asked me to look after Piccolo, who was in the area training and preferred a quiet place to rest for the night. I wasn't too excited about staying behind while everyone else got to mingle, but the master's insistence left me with little choice. He told me that I needed to keep the Namek company, and - aside from that - had a list of chores to complete. I almost thought it was strange, to be honest.

Piccolo and I didn't have much to say to one another. The only thing we had shared from the start was a mutual dislike for each other. And although his personality changed dramatically since we went head-to-head at the World Martial Arts tournament, he was still aloof and unsociable towards most (aside from Gohan of course). I wouldn't say that I don't trust him, but the guy still made me feel uneasy. Knowing what he was capable of, I continued to retain the fear of accidentally getting on his bad side. Our encounters remained nothing short of awkward, so I tended to avoid him as much as possible.

Yet here I stood at the door, listening to the pained muttering he emitted in his sleep; the words were unintelligible from where I was. Even if it meant an invasion of his privacy, I was extremely curious about getting closer in order to hear some of his sleep-talk. Suddenly I remembered that I had forgotten to check this room for soiled laundry, and so was more motivated to enter, prepared to use that as an excuse.

I pushed the door open as carefully as I could, hoping it wouldn't creak (as it sometimes has a habit of doing). Keeping my eyes on Piccolo's slumbering figure the whole time, I stepped in and closed the door behind me slightly. Right away I noticed a used pair of socks dangling over the headboard behind Piccolo's head. I hissed in exasperation, wondering how I'd reach them and if I should just consider leaving them where they were. That's when Piccolo began to murmur random phrases once again, as if he was having a conversation with someone unseen.

For a chilling moment I thought he had woken up. But he remained still with his eyes closed. I padded over toward the bed and decided to try and get the socks. I leaned over him and stretched my arm over his head. The socks were still a few inches beyond my reach. Since the other side of the bed was against the wall, there was no way around. Holding my breath, I placed my knees on the edge of the mattress and tried again, leaning forward. A small grunt escaped from my clenched teeth as I strained to grab the socks.

"Go ... han." the Namek mumbled, startling me. While reflexively pulling my empty hand away, I lost my balance and plopped over face-down onto the bed next to him. The mattress bounced slightly. I rolled over and turned to face him cautiously, fully expecting to find him awake. But still he slept. Sighing with relief, I made up my mind to forget about the socks. Just as I was turning to move, however, two arms seized me around the torso.

"Gohan." Piccolo whispered once again, pulling me toward him into an embrace.

"Pi ... Piccolo?" I uttered in bemusement. I placed my hands on his arms and tried to pry them off, but he was too strong for me. I couldn't even manage to wiggle out of his grip.

"I'll protect you, Gohan." he declared, caressing my bald head.

_Ahh! Oh no! He's still asleep and he thinks I'm Gohan!_ I realized. To an observer, the situation could have been considered quite comical. But the ever-graceful Piccolo wouldn't find it funny at all, and the fact that he could wake up at any time filled me with panic. I may have had a good alibi, but I simply wasn't prepared to face an angry Namekian caught in an embarrassing situation (that I may or may not have caused).

But what could I do? If I didn't try to wake him up, he'd eventually do that on his own and demand to know why I didn't. And if I did? Well ... he'd probably still cuff me in the face.

At any rate - for both of our sakes - I couldn't let this continue. I tried to rouse him by nudging him in the leg with my foot.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Piccolo snoozed on. Next I tried patting his cheek.

"Piccolo, come on! Open your eyes!"

Still no effect. Not the one I wanted, anyway.

"Be still, little one," He assured, kissing my forehead. "You're safe now."

"Oh gosh!" I gasped, my face reddening at once. This was so wrong! I'd have to come up with a new plan - and quickly.

And yet, as I lay there, I found myself almost wanting to stay there in his arms; even knowing full well that this rare display of affection wasn't meant for me. Why not let him think I was Gohan for just a little while, if it would make him happy? My heart went out to the poor guy.

I rested my head against Piccolo's chest and closed my eyes. Not knowing what else to do, I patted him reassuringly. After a few moments or so, his chattering quieted and all I could hear was the sound of his steady breathing. The arms that were wrapped so tightly around me were now relaxed, and so I slowly eased myself off of the bed and made my way to the door I had left slightly ajar.

_Well, that was strange. But it's time for me to get back to finishing the laundry_. I sighed, reaching for the doorknob.

"Krillin."

My hand froze in midair. I answered him, without turning around. "Yes?"

"You've awakened me." His voice was very casual.

"Oh? Forgive me. I'm doing the laundry and just came in here to check for clothes." I explained, turning around. The Namekian was propped up one one elbow, knees bent, and watching me very closely as I reached behind me to open the door, exposing the plastic basket.

"Is that so? Then how did you manage to overlook these?" A pair of dirty white socks dangled from his raised hand.

"Aha! T-there they are!" I chuckled nervously.

"Why don't you tell me the real reason you were in here?" interjected Piccolo, tossing the pair of socks over his shoulder. "More specifically, what you were doing laying next to me in bed."

As anxious as I felt, I had to admit that I wasn't too surprised that he had been aware of it. At first I hesitated, but then figured that it wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth (even if most of it was omitted).

I clasped my hands together, apologetically, bowing my head slightly. "I'm very sorry, Piccolo, and I swear I won't tell anyone what happened." I hastily tried to make an exit. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should really - "

But Piccolo would have none of it.

"Not so fast. You stay here." He commanded, sitting himself up, lotus style. "Close the door and come sit down. We're going to have ourselves a little chat, you and I."

At that moment, all I wanted to do was bolt out that door and go hide somewhere until the Turtle Hermit returned. But I knew better. There was no way I could outrun Piccolo. And even if I could manage to do that, he could easily hunt me down.

So I resigned to joining him, seating myself on the other end of the bed. For a time, there was nothing but a drawn-out, awkward silence in which I alternated between staring out the window to my left, and then into my lap, fidgeting uncomfortably with my own hands. Piccolo, meanwhile, looked equally uncomfortable and unsure how to start the conversation. Once he composed himself and broke his own hesitation, he resumed interrogating me further. It didn't take long for him to persuade me to confess that it was Gohan he was dreaming of.

"Damn it!" he growled, shamefully covering his forehead with his palm.

"If you miss him that much, why didn't you just go and see him instead of staying here?" I asked.

Piccolo breathed a heavy sigh.

"This wasn't the way I intended for things to happen, but the reason I came here today was ... because I sought company."

I blinked. "But I don't understand. Everyone went over to the Sons' today. Even I was going to go, but Muten Roshi made me stay here."

"And why do you think that is?"

"I have housework to do. That, and he said I should -" It finally dawned on me. "Oh, so that's what - ... ! You mean you wanted to see me specifically? But why?"

"The truth is," Piccolo explained, lacing his clawed fingers together. "Gohan will always be special to me. I see him as my own son. But he's grown now, and stronger even than I am. He doesn't need me anymore."

"I see. So you came to me because you wanted someone to talk to about it, right?" I was touched - and rather surprised - that Piccolo was opening up to me like this. Or to anyone, for that matter.

"Yes and no. True, but not exactly." he replied, looking slightly uneasy.

"Well, if you ask me, I don't think you have to worry about losing Gohan. To tell the truth, you were more of a father to him than Goku himself was. He may not need you as badly right now as he did then, but that doesn't mean he and you can't be friends anymore. You mean a great deal to him, I'm sure. Maybe even more than you think you do. He's not going to just forget about you, believe me."

"I know that." he said simply.

"Oh. Okay, then. Anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. You can tell me if anything else had transpired while I was sleeping. Aside from what I said, of course."

_Shit._

(End of Part I)


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh? Well, you know, haha," I raised my left hand, resting the palm on the back of my neck, nervously. "Not much! I heard you talking, then I slipped on the bed, and ... that was it."

"That was it?" He repeated, and I nodded in agreement.

Noticing the pair of dirty socks that were left on the bed, I cleared my throat and reached for them. "Hold on." Piccolo halted me, placing his hand on mine. "Your domestic duties can wait a bit longer."

I said nothing, but glanced longingly at the door, and then up at him, wearing a quizzical expression.

"You know, I get the feeling that you're not being completely honest with me. So why don't I just take a look into your mind and see for myself?" he raised his other hand toward my head. In a panic, I ducked out of his reach, pinning my back against the bed. Now there was no escape. Piccolo stared me down, arms folded.

"Oh? What seems to be the matter? It's not like you have anything to hide, _do you?_"

"All right, all right!" I confessed, spreading my hands out in front of me. "So there're a few things I may have neglected to mention. But believe me - I really don't think you want to know."

"And why might that be?"

I was unable to meet his gaze. "It's embarrassing."

"Really? Now I'm even more inclined to know."

"Don't you remember what you were dreaming about?"

"I don't. Now are you going to tell me or not?"

"I ... I can't!"

"Very well. Then what you cannot say, you must show."

I braced myself as Piccolo lowered his hands onto the crown of my head, feeling much like Fortuneteller Baba's crystal ball. I closed my eyes and tried to keep my mind as blank as possible, although I knew it would do no good to try blocking him from accessing the memories he was seeking. My scalp tingled slightly for a few moments before he withdrew his palms with a slight gasp.

"See? I told you so. But hey, it's not like I didn't try to- oh!?"

Before I could finish, I felt his arms reach around to my back. Quietly and simply, he scooped me up and cradled me in his arms, leaning back into a sitting position while I rested in his lap. While not exactly the reaction I had been expecting, it was certainly preferable to being smacked and shouted at.

For a time, neither of us spoke a word. I wasn't sure what to say, to be honest. At one point I even tried to form a question, but it died on my lips and became something of a cross between a grunt and a moan.

"So long." he sighed at last. "It's been so long since I've had a smaller body against mine."

I raised my chin slightly. "So that's ... what this was all about?"

"Ah." he responded, tapping my scarred forehead. "He finally gets it. You know, I was under the impression that you were a great deal more perceptive than that."

I frowned. "I suppose I would have been, had I not already been under the impression that you didn't like me."

"Idiot monk."

"See, now that's just what I mean. You're always saying rotten things about me."

"So then _you_ are the one who doesn't like _me_."

"I didn't say that."

"Then why are you always so scared of me?"

"I-I'm not ... scared of you!"

"Yes, you are. I've seen the way you look at me whenever I'm around. The way you _jump_." With his final word, he brought his hand down onto the bed with a very swift and firm thump. I automatically jerked backward and made a yelping sound.

"Yes, just like that," he observed.

"That would startle anyone," I argued. "Even Gohan."

"Gohan was the only one who didn't treat me like a monster."

"That's because you were his mentor. He had every reason to trust you."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course." I assured him. "Sure, there was a time when I didn't, but ... I do now."

"Then," he began, placing his hands on my shoulders, "Let me get close to you, Krillin."

My body began to quiver from head to toe as he leaned in even more closely. I shrank away until my back rested against the bed, my gaze averted. Although it had been years since I had faced "Ma-Junior" at the tournament, it was the last time we were this close in terms of physical contact. Just as my mind recalled the violent encounter, my body retained the memory of his brutal beatings. My pulse and breath were quickening from what could only be an episode of post-traumatic stress.

"What's wrong?" Piccolo inquired, leaning over with his knees planted on either side of me.

"Nuh ... nothing!" I panted.

He cupped my chin. "Krillin, look at me."

(End of Part II)


End file.
